Newsletter No.23 Spring 2017 T here is such a lot to look forward to with the Museum opening at the beginning of May. Helen has put together a very interesting and varied programme of talks, exhibitions and One of the miniature other events so please check them out on the works of art which will back page of this Newsletter and keep an eye be auctioned on May 17th - a local on the local press and the posters at the landscape by Carolyn Museum for changes and additions to the Stephenson programme - everything is also listed on the Museum website of course if you have internet access. The season begins with the AGM on Wednesday 17th May and as usual the official part of the evening will be very short, but followed by a new venture, an auction of art, mostly with local connections, which promises Did our albino mole have any offspring? Will we ever find out more to be great fun. The items to be auctioned will about the little boy who died of diphtheria, whose miniature hob- be on display from 12th May and for those nailed boots were left in a bag outside the Museum after his mother unable to attend on the evening, sealed bids died? Our ‘ferret feeding trough’ seems to have been recycled from a may be left in advance at the Museum. fine piece of stone carving, but for what function was it originally Janet Bishop, made? The list is endless. Clearly the Swaledale Museum is spot on- Chair of the Friends of Swaledale Museum trend. We hope you will come in to see what new things we have acquired over the winter to stir your own curiosity. A sample piece from While we have plenty of our own curiosities we also help others with Anne Hewitt’s ‘Land and Thread’ theirs. A gentleman telephoned to ask about a fine silver claret jug exhibition in the upper that he had acquired, and whether we knew anything about some gallery, developing weird place called … ‘Old Gang’, the name which is engraved on the ideas connected with body of the jug. Surely this is not made from legendary Swaledale the Swaledale silver? Do we have any more details of the Bartholomew Blenkiron landscape who claimed for the repair of his house which was burnt in the great Marrick fire of 1737? Can we help with any information on a beehive oven found in a house up the dale? Of course we can - as we A message from the Curator are privileged to be part of a large network of local expertise, where We are delighted to be entering our 2017 season. specialists welcome a challenge. Over the winter we have been reading lots of We hope that you will be spurred to come along to some of this year's literature that suggests that the new buzz in the Friends of the Museum lectures, to satisfy your own desire to learn world of education and museums is ‘curiosity’. something new. If they are as popular as last year we recommend This is defined as both ‘a strong desire to know or that you book early to guarantee a place. We are particularly grateful learn something’ and ‘an unusual or interesting to Richard Lamb who is not only giving a talk on local lead smelting object or fact’. Now we have plenty of the latter in mills, but also leading a tour of the Marrick site, thanks to the the Swaledale Museum, from our ever changing kindness of the landowner. Come along to find out more about the collection of mysterious objects to individual Richmond to Reeth railway. I wonder how different the history of artefacts that have their own stories to tell. Swaledale might have been if it had actually been built? The Swaledale Museum is open for the 2017 season fr om 5th May to 30th September, 10am to 5pm daily. Groups are warmly welcome at other times by appointment. We are very much looking forward to installing Anne Hewitt’s work in our upstairs gallery for this year's special exhibition, ‘Land and Thread’. Some more There are some stunning weaves, yarns and knits that develop ideas of the connected with the Swaledale landscape (which are for sale). They will miniatures be presented with contextual material that follows their evolution from which will be inspiration to finished piece. Don’t forget to visit our little shop on offer in downstairs which is filled with curiosities for you to buy, thanks to so the Fine Art many generous donors who have helped to stock it with so many Auction on 17th May. intriguing and unusual things. Each purchase helps the Swaledale Museum to keep open and operating. We look forward to giving you a warm welcome, and as ever thank you for all your support by joining the Friends of the Museum. Helen Bainbridge, Curator This ‘ferret feeding trough’ (left) which Helen mentions above has been donated from Arkengarthdale - but what was it originally? It’s a very nice piece of carved stone with letters and designs all the way round and a handy hollow in the top which was obviously not originally designed for feeding small animals. We have no idea what it is but we do now know where there’s another one! Thanks to Richard Hunt, our September speaker, we have a photograph (right) of a very similar one from just down the road at St Edmund’s church in Marske. Apparently two of these objects came from the chancel of the church when the wooden floor was replaced with a stone one. We’re not certain what their relation to the floor was (if any). The Marske one is in rather better condition (probably due to not having been in prolonged contact with ferrets) and has the letters MF carved on one side, a decorative motif on a second, the date 1690 on a third, and TF on the fourth. Any suggestions as to their original purpose would be welcomed! Thanking Good Friends Mystery Object This year started very sadly, with the loss of some great friends of the Museum. Katie Blyth (1954-2017) was a Sadly no-one has so far identified staunch supporter of the Museum from the moment of her the mystery gardening tool (right) arrival in Reeth, bringing a lifelong love of Swaledale with from the Autumn issue so we’ve her. We managed to persuade her to join the Friends of the been unable to help the owner. Museum Committee to which she added her special brand The next one (below) is probably a of enthusiasm, energy and initiative, as well as her little easier. The handle is metal, trademark flapjack, to our meetings. Always generous with the rollers are wooden and the her time, ideas and infectious self-deprecating humour she whole thing is about 8 inches long. came with an aura of happiness that was uplifting. All negatives were met with positives, and we will try and Katie Blyth hold close her innate philosophy of life. We will miss her immensely. Richard Beal (1955-2017) nobly audited the Friends of the Museum accounts every year, a task that is essential, but very much behind the scenes, and very typical of his support for local ventures. Two very large holes are left in our lives, as we recognise how important they were to us. Support for the Museum comes not only from within the dales, but also from people living beyond. Sister Cecilia Goodman (1949-2017) from York delighted us with making special cards to sell in the Museum shop, using beautiful photographs of the dale, creating special cards and a Museum logo, as well as packaging them. Such thought, generosity and practical initiative was typical of Cecilia’s character, we will miss her and the principles she so firmly stood for. Don’t forget to keep an eye open in the local press for the date of our Grand Old Fashioned Our Museum year has been regularly marked since our arrival by visits from Bill Tea Party in Reeth Community Orchard and for Henderson (1929-2017) of Edinburgh, who with his wife (daughter of the other additions or amendments to the programme Wagstaffs who ran the local chert quarries) contributed so much to our love and which may occur as the season progresses. If knowledge of the dales. Every visit brought fresh thoughts and information, you don’t already receive our regular email given with characteristic modesty and wit. It was a pleasure to sit, chat and share updates, let us know your email address and Bill’s love of the area. Our greatest consolation is that his daughter Ann we’ll add you to the circulation list. You can continues this connection with us and Swaledale. also keep up with the latest news via our Helen Bainbridge Facebook page. 2 A Look at Health and Sickness in Upper Swaledale and Arkengarthdale In a recent research project Jocelyn Campbell has been investigating ‘Health and Sickness in Upper Swaledale and Arkengarthdale’ and we are delighted to have a hard copy of the full draft of her report. Here we publish an extract. If you would like to read more, just book in to our archive in the Museum: It is only with the new Poor Law rules of 1834 that we have written records of medical provision for the upper dales relating to the workhouses. Medical Officers, appointed by the Union Guardian, were answerable to the Poor Law Commission in London who demanded regular reports and sent inspectors.